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Bitterness is a strongman of the enemy. Just as there are ranks of angels (like in the armed forces), there are also ranks of fallen angels and demons. Bitterness is a high-ranking evil spirit, but it comes in so subtly and so gradually that we’re unaware that we have even strayed into the enemy’s territory. Here’s how it all works:

Unforgiveness – It all starts with unforgiveness. Someone hurts you. They say or do something that hurts you. You must understand that people were not made to hurt, betray, or be mean to each other. It is not in our original design. But under the influence of the demonic voices all around us, we can inadvertently say or do something that hurts another person.

You are probably not even aware of it, but there are voices speaking to us all the time. There is the voice of God, and there is the voice of the enemy—and we don’t even realize that we are listening to the enemy and being influenced by him. So when someone says or does something to hurt you, they are acting on what they are hearing from the enemy.

Then you respond, acting on what you are hearing from the enemy. The enemy says, “How could she say that about me?” and you repeat it as if it was a thought born from your own mind: “How could she say that about me?”

Every time you think you might be over the hurt, the enemy reminds you of it so that you have a very hard time getting over that hurt. Unforgiveness is a small spirit, but now that it has been welcomed into your heart, it becomes very hard to forgive.

Resentment – Then resentment joins unforgiveness. Under resentment’s tutelage you vow never to speak to that person again, to never allow that person to hurt you again.

Retaliation – The spirit of retaliation goads you into getting some satisfaction for the hurt you’ve suffered. Retaliation promises to feel so good, but in fact can get you into a whole lot of trouble. Retaliation actively seeks to prevent blessing from coming into the offender’s life. Now, ask yourself, who exists to prevent blessings from coming into people’s lives?

Anger, Wrath, & Murder – When unforgiveness is finally joined by its bigger, stronger brothers, it is very difficult to go back and forgive. Of course, not all unforgiveness ends in physical murder, but it can often end in character assassination. We’ve all heard of an unforgiving father say to his son: “You’re dead to me.” In his mind, the father has murdered the son, and the relationship is as good as dead from then.

People think that negative emotions, such as anger, depression, and unforgiveness, are merely emotions. In fact, they are not emotions at all. They are demons that can be cast out or sent away. I have suffered lengthy very profound bouts of depression. I was unaware that depression was a spirit at the time, but during the worst depressions I suffered suicidal thoughts and even suicidal hallucinations that I knew were not originating from my own mind. I wasn’t possessed, but rather, I was suffering terrible demonic oppression.

Bitterness wants to produce fruit in your life: hatred, cruelty, revenge, self-pity, hypocrisy, jealousy, competition, frustration, and confusion. Yes, even a little thing like competition, which American culture says is healthy, is in fact a foothold for the enemy. Think about how many times you’ve seen someone get frustrated that the game didn’t go their way, and they turn the board over, scatter the cards everywhere, or they let the game’s physical side become too violent.

Self-pity is not an emotion, it’s a spirit. It brings thoughts of entitlement—entitlement that has been violated. Once we become aware of the enemy’s tactics, we can guard ourselves from jumping to the enemy’s camp. I don’t want to give the enemy even the smallest victory over myself.

Bitterness can be present in your life without you even being aware of it. And once this process is begun, it is very difficult to reverse it. Sometimes you will have lived under the influence of bitterness for such a long time that you might not even believe that you are bitter.

Let me show you how bitterness can enter in: the offender, under the influence of the enemy says or does something that is truly wrong, evil, and bad. The spirit of bitterness has been standing by, and takes that moment of offence to push its way into your heart. Were you wronged? Absolutely. That is how the enemy works: by pushing his way in. There’s no waiting for an invitation. When you’re at your most vulnerable, he pushes his way in and begins speaking poisonous thoughts to you, playing on outrage, embarrassment, humiliation, hurt pride, physical suffering, violated boundaries, etc. You believe these thoughts to be your own, when they are not. And thus, piece by piece bitterness builds until it has become anger. Anger can be so strong and so swift that it is literally just a heartbeat away from murder.

Forgiveness is a decision, not an emotion. You can decide to forgive. And that decision takes follow-through. There were some people in my life that I have had to forgive all over again every time they came to my mind. And I always did so, hoping for the day when that decision to forgive would finally become an emotional fact. But true forgiveness did not come until I went back (in my mind and memory) to the time of the offense and forgave it there. In that final act of forgiveness, I had to consciously give up all my rights to be angry or outraged at the offense. The next time that person came to mind, the thought that came almost reflexively into my mind was: how could she possibly have known how precious I am to God? My only feeling toward her, even remembering what she had done to me was pity that she hadn’t known how precious I am to God.

Forgiving was made easier once I understood the enemy hiding behind the person used to hurt me. In truth, I have also been used by the enemy to hurt other people. When you truly can grasp the realities hidden from our eyes, it becomes so much easier to give people the mercy and grace that we hope for from them, too.

Giving in to a spirit of bitterness or forgiving as generously as God has forgiven us is a life-changing decision. Bitterness can prevent blessings in your life. And through bitterness, the enemy might use you to prevent blessings in the lives of others. Worse than all that, it can bring curses, especially in the form of physical illness. Anger, hatred, and bitterness go coursing through your veins like a caustic, like poison. If you’re aware, you might even feel it burning in your veins.

Giving up your right to be angry at an offense can feel like dying to yourself—in fact, that’s exactly what it is. But you won’t truly begin to live until you do die to yourself. It’s part of God’s upside-down logic that turns the world’s logic on its head. Why is it so hard? Because you are making a frontal attack on your own pride.

Make a decision to begin seeing people the way God sees them—ask God to help you to see people the way He sees them. You will find that you have more love and mercy for them, and forgiveness will flow easier and easier. More than that, blessings will flow in your own life as never before.

I was invited to a grigliata in Biella. A grigliata is a barbecue. This was for Pasquetta, which is Easter Monday. I had just met Caroline, a missionary who I immediately thought could turn out to be a valuable collaborator. Caroline is a sweet little Italian-American with a big smile and a bigger heart.

The day after Caroline arrived, I had a young missionary coming to visit from Prague. It was exhilarating to watch Caroline in action with Debbie: now cheering her, now helping her, now questioning her false assumptions—and all done in love. Debbie was here overnight, and after we saw her off, we made our plans to go to Biella.

When we got there, the BBQ was in full swing. There was lots of food, music, dancing, and games, in other words: fun. Even though I had already visited Biella a few weeks ago, the greeting I got was as warm as if I had been gone a year.

There was a young woman at the BBQ who I knew slightly: Bo. She greeted me, then sat with Caroline, sharing her story for the next half hour or so. I already knew a little of Bo’s story, but learned more from hearing her pour out her heart to Caroline:

I’m a gypsy from Albania. Well, OK, my mother was a gypsy and my father was a Serb. My father left before I was born and my mother died when I was five years old. A nice neighbor took me in and raised me as her own. At fifteen I was sold in a marriage contract to another gypsy. He raped me, and I became pregnant with my daughter. He was very cruel and controlling. I can’t tell you all the ways that he abused me sexually. So I ran away from him and came to Italy.

Bo told Caroline all this with no trace of emotion in her voice or on her face. This much of the story, I had already heard. Then Caroline asked for more details about her daughter and step-mother. It turns out that they were in hiding in a town just across the border in France. And the ex-husband? He was looking for her in a larger town in France, where she had put her daughter in school back at the beginning of the school year. Somehow, he had tracked her down there. “He is waiting there for my daughter to go back to school after the holiday, but he doesn’t have the right to take her from the school.”

Many years ago, when I worked at a daycare center, I had seen a father under a restraining order snatch his child right from the yard, just by calling him to come to the fence and talk. So I knew that the school’s rules didn’t mean that the daughter was safely out of reach.

But how had he tracked them down here—and why had he gone to the expense and trouble of following them? The answer to the second question is a repeat of history: Bo had been sold in marriage, and the daughter, though still too young to marry, could still be promised in a marriage contract to be sold when she turns fifteen. A more sinister possibility is that the daughter might be sold even now to traffickers for a life of prostitution. Either way, losing the girl was a financial loss for the father. Bo said that a virgin girl could be sold for as high as €10,000 for one night. But whether traffickers or marriage, Bo wanted a better life for her daughter.

It turns out that the father had tracked Bo down simply by watching her posts on Facebook. Her posts and pictures on social media, intended to keep family and friends informed of her whereabouts, had also kept her husband informed. Now he was threatening to take the girl, with the help of the French police. If she doesn’t show up at school, then she will be truant. Being a gypsy, the girl already has a lot going against her. Truancy could jeopardize her asylum in France and cause the girl to fall even farther behind in school.

Caroline sensed that she was holding something back because she could just as easily bring the girl into Italy, apply for asylum here, and put her into an Italian school. Bo said that God had told her to go back to Albania and get the gypsy divorce there. But when questioned, she broke down and admitted that it was her step-mother that was pressuring her to go back to Albania. The step-mother was convinced that this would solve the problem and get the husband off her back. And Bo admitted that she was considering it. But if she did that, she would have to take her daughter back to Albania with her, and there was a possibility that the gypsy council could decide that the daughter belongs to her father.

“Why would you even consider going back?” I wanted to scream the question. Bo shrugged, having no answer.

I realized later that probably, having been the one who had sold Bo to this man in a marriage contract, the step-mother was pushing the gypsy divorce to save face in the gypsy community back home.

Caroline, seeing that there was a lot of cultural issues and some underlying issues that Bo was still hiding, made the wise suggestion that we all just stop and pray. So we prayed and put the whole thing into God’s hands. As we prayed for her, Bo’s shoulders shook as weeping erupted from within her. Then we left her.

I don’t know what Bo will do or what will happen with her. But we have done all that we can to help her make a good decision that will keep her daughter and herself protected. I know that if Bo will depend on God for help in making those tough decisions, He will protect her and her daughter. However, these are Bo’s decisions to make. In the end, we each have to decide whether to trust God or not.

But I know this much: although God will not save you from the consequences of your bad decisions, He can be trusted to guide you and protect you when you surrender your life completely to Him. God may take you by some ways you do not want to go, but His way is always better. God is faithful. God is trustworthy. And as I always say: God is good!

Today has been an amazing, great, fabulous, fun, wonderful day in the life of this missionary. It started about 6:30 this morning, when Giorgio, a young man from our church, arrived after an all-night prayer vigil. He needed a place to sleep, and offering hospitality is what I do—part of what I do.

So basically, I was waking up just as he was coming in to sleep. Good timing on his part, since the first thing I do is to enjoy some quiet time with the Lord and read the Bible over a cup of coffee. Being Saturday, I wanted to honor the Lord’s Sabbath by not doing any work. But I work for the Lord, so it’s kind of hard to know what’s really work and what’s OK to do on the Sabbath. I asked the Lord to help me to honor Him today, and He gave me a one word answer: delve. I understood this as delving deeper into His Word.

I did spend more time than usual reading the Bible, then over breakfast, I watched one of Jim Staley’s Hebrew Alphabet teachings—delving some more. Absolutely fascinating! I encourage you to check it out. The language of God is like none other on earth. It is a supernatural language, it is a multi-dimensional language, this is the language God used to create the universe by speaking it into being.

I was watching the video about the letter Hey, and about three quarters of the way through the video, my calendar popped up with an appointment I had thought was next Saturday. I had responded that I would go, and it was something I really wanted to go to. So I got myself into gear, dressed, left notes for Giorgio, and went across town to the meeting.

This meeting was concerning Expo on 4 Wheels, a bus that’s basically a mobile church with a coffee bar and a library. The bus is a joint effort between local churches and missionary organizations to focus on sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ at the Expo (1 May through 31 October) here in Milan.

It turns out that there are three major ways that you can help Expo on 4 Wheels:

Pray – The Expo will draw an estimated 21 million visitors from more than 130 different countries, many of whom have likely never heard the Gospel message. This is a unique opportunity to share the love of Jesus with millions of people. But for this, they need prayer support.

Participate – The bus won’t be very effective without people getting out there and reaching people with the love of Jesus. Groups of any size are invited to participate. To sign up, contact Missione REM.

Donate – As you can imagine, an operation like this costs a lot of money. If you want to invest in the Kingdom of God, you can do so on their website using PayPal or making a wire transfer: Donation.

So there was a lot of good information about reaching the world while there are lots of visitors here in Milan. But when we started to pray, was when God really showed up and blew my mind. The Holy Spirit reminded me of a vision that I had seen ten or more years ago:

I saw a lighthouse grow up out of Milan, and it gave light to the city. It kept growing and gave light all over Italy. It kept growing and gave light all over Europe. And finally it grew so big that it gave light all over the world.

I understood the vision to be about revival. But revival didn’t come, and didn’t come. Friends said that revival would start in Sicily, in Naples, and other parts of Europe, wherever they were from. One even told me that the big End Times Revival had already started in Sicily. Finally I simply forgot about the vision. Until today.

So when the prayer ended, I said that I had a vision to share, and told them about this vision, and about how I had actually seen it years ago. A man immediately came forward and shared that he also had the same vision—and had it years ago, just like I had. My excitement doubled with this instant confirmation.

Then we went out to look at the bus. It is still being worked on, but it’s going to be beautiful. There’s a very cozy and welcoming sitting area, a library area, and a coffee/snack kitchen. I know the Lord is really going to use this bus, and all the people, churches, and organizations connected with it. Revival is coming!

Then I came home and found a message from Suki, introducing me to an American woman (Italian-American in heritage) who is moving to Italy. She doesn’t know exactly where or what she’ll be doing, but she knows that God has called her here. Suki is God’s beautiful networking tool, and He has used her several times to connect people. But it was the Holy Spirit inside of me, even more than Suki, that convinced me that I need to meet this woman. So I’ve invited her to come for a visit. But that’s a post for another time.

Revival is coming! This is it: The Big End Times Revival! If you want to be a part of it, you can follow the links above, get more information, register, get a team together and come to Milan. You can also register on GoMissions. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss out on what God is doing. God is good!

One really nice thing about not having a television is that I have gotten out of the habit of zoning-out in front of the idiot box at the end of the day. And let’s be honest, there are a lot of things on television that are not faith-building. In fact, there are far more unchristian and even antichristian programs than there are Christian programs. Ask yourself this: if I wouldn’t let my children or grandchildren watch this, then why am I watching it?

Instead of television, what I do is spend time with friends, read a book, or watch sermons on You Tube. Instead of only hearing 1 Bible-based message a week, I hear as many as 10. The Bible says: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God,” (Romans 10:17, NKJV). So if I have a lot of faith, that is why—I’m hearing the Word of God daily. And do you know what? That gives me more of an appetite for the Word of God, which gives me more faith. It’s a righteous cycle. Hallelujah!

This morning I was praying for Europe, my mission field. My fellow missionaries understand the burden I feel for Europe because each of us feels that for our respective mission fields. It’s not a burden in the way that most people think of burdens. Rather, it’s a deep longing and desire to pray and to keep bringing Europe’s people before the throne of God.

So as I was praying this morning, the Holy Spirit reminded me of something I heard in a sermon recently. The sermon was about calling on angelic help. “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14, emphasis mine). There are billions of angels. A third of the angels rebelled, including a cherub named Lucifer, and became fallen angels, also called demons. Matthew 18:10 makes it clear that each child has a guardian angel. So if there are over 7 billion people currently alive on planet earth (check out: World Population Clock), then that means that there are billions of angels. In addition to the guardian angel that each of us has, there are messenger angels (like Gabriel), warrior angels (like Michael), and worship angels (like the ones around God’s throne). And the angels have ranks: angels, archangels, princes, thrones, etc.

So, given that there are literally billions of angels, outnumbering the demons by 2 to 1, then there are a whole lot of angels ready to help us. But they’re mostly idle because we haven’t asked God to send angels to help us.

Note: Never go directly to the angels, themselves. They take their orders from God. If you ask an angel to help you, you will unknowingly be inviting a demon to interfere in your life. Whereas God must be invited to act on your behalf, demons will push their way into the slightest opening that they are given. If you’re curious about the purpose and position of angels, read the first chapter of Hebrews.

Often I am saddened by the spiritual state of Europe. Operation World says that Europe is “by far the most secular and least religious continent,” (pg. 79). On top of that, there are not anywhere near enough missionaries to bring the Gospel to every part of Europe. My organization, European Faith Missions, in partnership with GoMissions, is working to remedy that situation by offering an online bulletin board for matching missionaries with serving opportunities in Europe. But Europe has failed to capture the imagination of most Christians.

Americans think of Europe as a wealthy place because that’s where rich people go on vacation. The reality is that there is a much bigger gap between rich and poor here, and there is practically no middle class in most European countries. Moreover, the third world can be found in every gypsy camp throughout Europe.

I am very aware that the clock is ticking down to the end, and it’s very near. So, inspired by the Holy Spirit, I prayed for angels to help in the task of spreading the Gospel throughout Europe. On Judgment Day we won’t be judged for our sins because if we’re Christian, then Jesus has already paid the full price for our sins at the cross. But we will be judged for our works. Don’t misunderstand that as meaning anything like salvation by works. Each of us has been given spiritual gifts and work to do for the Lord. On Judgment Day we will receive the reward for our work.

No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, emphasis mine

Salvation determines where we will spend Eternity, our work on earth determines our reward for Eternity (read the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30). Do you know what our reward is? God told Abraham: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your Shield, your very Great Reward,” (Genesis 15:1, emphasis mine). Our reward will be how much facetime we have with God. Each time I experience the presence of God, it leaves me wanting more. His presence is our reward, and how much we get to experience of His presence in Eternity will be determined by how faithfully we carried out our work here on earth. Remember how the people begged Moses to put a veil over his face because he shined too much with the glory after talking with God (Exodus 34:29-35)? Well, I believe that the same glory that caused the people to avoid Moses will attract the people to us in Eternity.

But it’s not the people that interest me so much, but being in the presence of God. That’s where I want to spend my time in Eternity. I want a Great Reward!

If Christians fail to answer the call of God to come to this mission field, I will call the angels to do their work. And those of us who answered the call will have our Reward. God is good! And His presence is the best Reward I could ever get! He is my very Great Reward! Hallelujah!

The missionaries I came to meet with, Ted and Carol, picked me up at Budapest airport and drove me to their home about an hour and a half away. They live in a former mining town in Hungary. Their town’s people were the “poster children” for Communism because the workers were miners. Miners have big muscles, so they were celebrated in pictures and sculpture shirtlessly embodying the Communist ideal. The Communist dictators treated them very well because they were the poster children. So the town’s infrastructure was far better than most of the rest of Hungary.

This is the pretty town square viewed from T & C’s window

When Communism collapsed, there was joy all over Hungary—except for this town. They had lost their celebrity status and all the perks that come with it: the finest housing, cars, the best food, good schools for their children, etc. For them freedom meant learning how to scrape their resources together, working at whatever jobs they could find when the mine closed. Many in this town are nostalgic about the “good old days of Communism.”

Having arrived Saturday night, I had missed the gypsy Bible study (see Six Hours Late). But I did get to hear Ted preach. Over breakfast this morning I had mentioned the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-6) in conversation about how God is moving among the Italian Catholics (see Touching the Hem of His Garment). Ted said, “Guess what scripture I’m preaching about!” Yup! John 5:1-6. His sermon was really good, teaching me something new that I had never considered before.

Jesus had approached the paralytic and no one else. Why? Perhaps because everyone else had someone there to help them into the waters when they rippled. Ted said that it was strange that this man was alone. Jesus asked him a strange question, one I had always wondered about: “Do you want to be healed?” Of course He knew the answer, but it gave the man the opportunity to reveal something about his own character. He complained that there was no one to help him into the water. And even when he had been healed, he “blamed” Jesus because He had told the man to carry his bed home—in other words, to work on the Sabbath. And after he saw Jesus again, he ran to the authorities and told them that it was Jesus. Not one word of gratitude for his miraculous and life-changing healing. This guy had some definite character issues, which is something I had never really thought about before.

After church we walked around town a bit, returned home, and prayed together. Ted and Carol mostly work with gypsies, doing CHE, Community Health Evangelism. The CHE concept is great. It involves health, but not only the health of the body, but of the whole person: body, soul (mental/emotional), and spirit. I love the holistic approach, and it is so desperately needed in the gypsy communities of Europe. The gypsies are the most receptive of all Europeans when it comes to the Gospel message. They grab it with both hands. So we prayed together for them, for their family, and for their ministry.

And I pray daily for the Lord of the Harvest to send more workers for this mission field. The harvest is ripe, but the workers are few. If you are interested in missions in Europe, whether with gypsies or not, check out GoMissions.

God is good! Working with God is great! He’s the best Boss ever, and the retirement plan is out of this world!

I’ve just had friends, Doug and Jane, come to visit me from Poland on their way to Spain. I was hoping that during their visit they could help me with information for the next Feast of Tabernacles. Worship groups from all over Europe come and bring praise in their own languages—and this continues 24 hours a day for the 7 days of the Feast. Ever since attending Tabernacles two years ago, it has been my desire to bring an Italian worship team. In my small way, I did bring Italian worship, singing in Italian when I heard a song I know in Italian. But it’s not the same.

Doug and Jane did more for me than just provide the necessary information. They are people who understand my calling and desire to encourage missionaries. They brought gifts, designed to encourage: books, magazine, and newspaper in English, a pretty coaster with the words, “The Lord is faithful,” a pretty shopping bag in a traditional brightly colored Polish design, and tasty wafers for which Kalisz is famous. Their visit was so encouraging. I felt very pampered and loved.

They wanted to see the city, but not the traditional tourist spots. It was such fun to take them to the places that I consider special, and let them see my Milan. They also wanted to meet my friends. They met Paula, who worked for me by buying the furnishings to make the apartment livable—not just livable, but very comfortable. And they met Sally, the mastermind behind GoMissions (http://gomissions.eu/). Doug and Jane also encouraged Paula and Sally. It was a wonderful few days of friendship, prayer, networking, and strategizing. But it was also a fun time, eating delicious food, talking, laughing, and relaxing.

Through Doug and Jane’s visit, I was able to see how my visits to missionaries encourage them. Even encouragers need encouragement from time to time! God is good!

Greetings from Indianapolis! I am here at the International Conference on Missions (ICOM http://www.theicom.org/conference) with Sally, the brains behind GoMissions, European Faith Missions’ new partner in ministry. Sally and I are here exhibiting for GoMissions (http://www.gomissions.eu/), an online bulletin board for matching missionaries with mission opportunities in Europe.

Indianapolis is the cleanest, most graffiti-free city I think I’ve ever seen. And when I commented on that to local people, the answer has come back: police presence. I believe it because every time I’ve gone out the door of the hotel, there has been a police car, either parked nearby or passing by on the street. Every morning at breakfast, there is a group of 5 or 6 police officers who take a break here.

One officer told me that the campaign against graffiti started about 5 years ago, and that it has been an important weapon in the suppression of inner city gangs. I guess I had never thought of it before. My only experience of gangs is limited to the musical “West Side Story.” And I remember that in the first scenes, in fact it’s in the opening credits, the Sharks and Jets dance around marking their turf with graffiti. Anyway, the result is that Indianapolis is both very clean and feels safe.

Meanwhile, back at the conference, the need for missionaries in Europe is still obviously very much misunderstood here in the US. When I point out that even people with running water and modern conveniences need a Savior, almost invariably the person responds that America is also a mission field. I don’t deny the truth of that, but the people who say it tend to be people who are not actively sharing the Gospel here, either. Interestingly, the people who best understand the need for missionaries in Europe are missionaries serving in other parts of the world. They know that Europe is the least Christian continent on Earth.

I wouldn’t say that we should stop sending missionaries to Africa because there is still a need there, but Africa is way more Christian than Europe. In fact, now there is an organization of African missionaries to Europe: GATE, Gift from Africa to Europe (http://gate-mission.org/GATE%20Flyer.pdf).

And many people who say that they feel called to missions say in the very next breath: “But I could never live without running water.” Well, Europe is more likely where they are called because those called to live in deserts love the deserts and desert people; those called to live in the jungle love the jungle and the jungle people; and those of us called to live in Europe love Europe and the European people.

Mission does not automatically equal suffering. The suffering and troubles that Jesus warned about was persecutions. Anywhere you meet the enemy and people influenced by the enemy, you’ll encounter resistance, trouble, and sometimes persecution. Missionaries suffer hardship wherever they are. I have had to learn to sleep sitting straight up on buses, trains, and planes, often missing meals—that’s hardship. Giving up my house, and leaving my family—especially my grandson—is hardship. But I know that I will be compensated:

Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields [and grandchildren]—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life,” (Mark 10:28-30, emphasis mine).

Please, friends, help me get the word out: Europe is a mission field full of people who need Jesus.